Dunlop HT1 Heil Talkbox

The Heil Talkbox is one of those effects that was never really copied too much. In fact, I can't even recall too many other talk boxes out there. The pedal is super simple to use, but you need to have a PA to get the full effect, and if you can't hear the sound coming from your monitors, it can be a bit useless as you won't really be hearing much. The pedal is about as simple as you can get. Plug it in, put the tube in your mouth, start singing in the mic and play.

UTILIZATION

The pedal is very solid. There's really not much to go wrong with this thing. I mean, just look at it. What is going to go wrong? The tube may break, but you can pick up extra tubing from home depot. Although I don't really recommend that as you gotta stick this thing in your mouth, and that was my biggest issue with this thing. I'm hardly a germophobe, but considering all of the different bacteria and viruses floating around in a confined space, the last thing I want to do is constantly stick my mouth on a tube that does nothing but collects the different diseases out there. It's a great way to get sick, and if you're sick, you can't perform for the audience.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound is good, but there's not much to compare it to. I mean, you play your guitar, you make funny voices through the tube, and sing at the same time. It delivers a neat sound, but there's nothing you can use it for aside from maybe some Bon Jovi cover band or something similar. Not many people utilized this effect because it's fairly inefficient and a pain to use unless you're a huge touring band.

OVERALL OPINION

The pedal is good, and if you're in need of that talk box kind of effect, this is what you want to get. I just don't think music really needs this today. Aside from maybe a few Bon Jovi songs or whatever, what else are you going to use this on? If you can find an answer to that question, by all means, by this! However, if you're not sure if you'll ever use this, I recommend just not buying it.

This is a talk box. It works by connecting between an amplifier and a cabinet. It essentially is a speaker - powered by a horn - that is connected to a vinyl tube. Insert the tube in your mouth, play some overdriven/distorted guitar, move your lips and throat as if you were forming words and voila! Instant talking guitar.

The talkbox is connected after the amplifier with a 1/4" speaker cable, and connects before the cabinet with another 1/4" speaker cable. It has a switch to either engage or bypass the talkbox. With the talkbox engaged, the speaker cabinet is disabled.

I can't think of any features I would want added for such an effect.

UTILIZATION

It's very easy. The manual offers a little bit of advice and some warnings on how to properly use the talkbox, but for the most part, it's really about experimentation. Just avoid amplifiers that are too powerful or set too loudly and you should be fine.

SOUND QUALITY

This is generally a guitar effect, but it could technically be used with an electrified instrument.

It's fun to do all the Pete Frampton/Alice in Chains stuff with it, or write your own songs that use the talkbox effect.

If you plan on recording with it, a pop filter between before the microphone is a must.

OVERALL OPINION

I think it's a good value for the money. In the nearly ten years I've owned one I only ever had it go down once because the horn blew. It's not a very expensive nor difficult repair, and is probably inevitable with this type of equipment.

If you're looking for a talkbox, and by that I mean a real talkbox, look no further than this one. You're much better off with the real-deal over a talkbox emulator. Not only does it look cooler, but it sounds so much better.

If the vinyl tube it come with gets dirty, replacements can be picked up from Home Depot for relatively cheap money.

Very simple setup...but you may want to use a seperate amplifier to run this talk box. Your guitar plugs into the heil and then goes out to the input of a guitar amplifier...that's it. Your guitar's signal is routed through the talk box and then up through the supplied plastic tube. You will need to attach the tube to a microphone so usually you will need a PA system to get the full effect of this. You place the tube in one side of your mouth and while playing notes on your guitar, you move your mouth to create different types of sounds. Think Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi and Peter Frampton. The Heil can sit on your pedalboard or on the floor in front of you.

UTILIZATION

There really isn't much to explain about the sound or use of this product. It does one thing...it mimics your voice with your guitar. Whatever note or chord you play, you can move your mouth with the tube in it to produce different tones. The problem I had with the one I had was that the fuse in it blew out 3 times. I ran it through a 100 watt Marshall DSL amp. I'm not sure if 100 watts was too much for it to handle. You need to be careful as it could potentially damage your amp if you don't properly match up the speaker impedance. I ended up returning it and going with the Rocktron Banshee as the Banshee doesn't need an amp to drive it.

SOUND QUALITY

Used with a guitar, the sound quality is pretty damn good. You can achieve the exact same effect and sound, when paired with a decent amplifier (preferably tube) as the sound in Livin On A Prayer by Bon Jovi or even the intro to Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith.

OVERALL OPINION

The Heil talk box is generally regarded as the go to talk box by most professionals. If you have the right setup for it, it is a great and fun tool to use. If you're looking for something simpler that sounds really close to the Heil, the Rocktron Banshee may be what you're looking for.

Everything is said elsewhere.

USE

Be careful if you are like me, "keyboardist accustomed homes of studio and VSTs"
It is not at all an effect like the others.
This is an amp, horn transducer and a pipe that is square in the mouth. The rsonnances mouth for modulating the sound ... and you need a microphone to capture.
Beware also if you have a girlfriend and you want to keep it ... do not abuse the talkbox in his presence ... I feel that exprimentations drunk rather quickly unintended listeners .dropoff window

SOUND QUALITY


When mounting the level, there is the breath, the sound is distorted and saturated .. and this is NORMAL.
So because of distortion, forget harmonies (or so it will make several mono taken to retain a clear sound).

To vocalize harmonies, rather I will use a vocoder or pitch shifter / hormoniseur / autotune.

The synth I choose a simple waveform, in mono with one tilt (or oscilloscope synchroniss) no effect (no reverb or delay phaser) on the other hand, I play the vibrato and portamento pitch (a rsonnances emphasizes oral): D ... I use it for two days with my micro modular Clavia ... these are the pair!

If using a sound with reverb / delay or doubling of the sound becomes rotten oscillators may be funny ... 5 minutes but ... has as much to buy a distortion.

NOTICE GLOBAL

Simple to implement, an ultra sound characteristic that really can not approach it with a vocoder.